Gears of War 4 Multiplayer Preview: Everything you need to know before the Beta launches

Gears of War 4 launches October 11. That's a little under six months away.

But as of next week, April 18th to be more precise, GoW fans who played the Ultimate Edition will finally have access to the new multiplayer beta.

Following the conclusion of early access on April 24, Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One will also be invited to join the bloodthirsty fun until it ends on May 1.

Recently Daily Star Online had the chance to meet members of the games developers from The Coalition and to get our big ugly mitts on the multiplayer to see it for ourself before anyone else.

And before we go into too much detail about what you can look forward to, let's just say quickly say that the new Gears multiplayer is quite simply flawless.

This is a take no prisoners, strategic, highly entertaining and bloodthirsty shooter which could not only be the best multiplayer experience this Winter, but potentially for many moons into the future thanks to a full suite of ever changing multiplayer maps and modes.

“Multiplayer has a much greater position at the table”

Rod Fergusson, Studio Head The Coalition

"Historically, the campaign is the hardest thing to make out of any of these games," said The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson.

"If you look at the development of Gears one, it was probably 90-percent single player, 10-percent multiplayer. Over the course of the franchise, that percent shifted, but I don't think it ever got above 70/30.

"Coming here [with Gears 4], multiplayer has a much greater position at the table."

This time around, everything from the get go has been designed to provide a far improved multiplayer experience.

Even the new slimy swift moving "juvies" introduced into Gears campaign mode have been engineered to push players out of cover and train them as preparation for close quarters encounters in multiplayer.

Gears of War 4 Screenshots

All the available screenshots for Microsofts upcoming Xbox One exclusive for Gears of War 4

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Microsoft

Gears of War 4 - Horde 3.0 Screenshots

For now we're going to take more of an overview of the games multiplayer beta and let you know about some of the fundamentals that are changing.

But the fact is with so much Gears of War 4 goodness to tell you about, we can't shove it all into just one post.

Instead, we've divided it up into handy sections for you to explore in your own time.

So take a look and if you want to know more about one particular section before reading on, click that link:

The above statement might seem a little lofty, but that's the high bar The Coalition have set themselves when creating this latest chapter in the long illustrious history of the game.

The first thing you need to know is that, Gears 4's Versus Multiplayer is effectively a return to the gameplay style Gears 3.

So you don't need to worry about it being another misstep like the the unfortunate (albeit interesting) Gears of War: Judgement.

But while there's been some significant additions to the game, the main thing you should take from this preview is that despite a completely new team working on the game, this feels like a genuine Gears game, and not a half baked clone.

NEW WEAPONS

For the most part it's your usual fare of lancers, shotguns and the occaisional torque bow thrown into the mix.

But there are a few new weapons which are adding something completely different to the series, and one which we suspect will be a real fan favourite.

We're talking of course about the drop shot, which some 'Gear Heads' might have already seen in leaks or the little teases put out by Rod Fergusson's Twitter feed.

The Dropshot works by letting you fire a drill-bit with an explosive head on it. When you fire, it sends the drill-bit out with a laser sight to guide you, and when you're ready, you can trigger it to drill down and explode. Time it right and land it on the enemies noggin to blow them to kingdom come (see below).

But better yet, it provides something unseen in a Gears game. A weapon that flies overhead and negates that oh so precious cover you seek.

Once again, The Coalition seem intent on making you as uncomfortable as possible to move you out of cover and into the face of the enemy.

Microsoft

Gears of War 4 Dropshot

SKILL RANKS

There's now a visible ranking system within the game so you don't have to fear playing those players who are vastly superior to you.

The game will determine your skills and assign you a particular bracket. So that could be Bronze, Diamond, Gold etc.

And Bronze players will play Bronze, Diamond on Diamond and so forth.

Think of it a bit like playing FIFA. You won't get matched with anyone outside your ranking and hopefully you'll enjoy the multiplayer much more because of it.

PLAYERS VS BOTS

If you've never played Gears before, there's no need to worry about facing off against a selection of players with vastly more experience than yourself.

To ease you in, you can now play a new Co-Op Versus mode that allows human players to compete as part of the same team against a team of AI bots.

Interestingly these bots will have "role-based personalities," explains Fergusson, and you'll even be able to customise how difficult you want your AI.

This way you should be able to transition yourself into the game much easier.

And best of all, it's no mickey mouse mode, you can still earn XP and rewards playing this mode.

The official website for Gears 4 has already revealed that we'll see the worldwide exclusive reveal of a new competitive mode for Gears of War 4 - likely Escalation mode, which we've touched on briefly in our New Multiplayer modes preview.

Microsoft

Gears of War 4 Multiplayer Beta

Gears of War 4 is set to be released October 11 for Xbox One.

A PC version may also be released, but nothing has been confirmed at this stage.